The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-24

The National Woman's Suffrage Associa-
tion assemblies in its thirty-ninth annual con-
vention in Washington this week Next
year it win celebrate the completion of its
fourth decade. During these years the eff
forts Of Its leaders have been incessant. The
names of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Of
Susan Il. Anthony are almost as familiar to
the people Of the United States as are the
names of the leading men in political life.
And yet many viii ask, "What has been ac-
complished by this association towards the
attainment Of its object?" In some of the
Territories women vote, run for office, sit in
juries as do men. For three years in Wash
ington Territory women have enjoyed equal
privileges with men at the polls; and their
presence in the court rooms Of the Territory
has ceased to attract unusual attention. In
other Territories, even III the toughest re-
gions, they have entered political contests
with a spirit and success that has caused sur
prise and wonder in the more staid and con-
servative East In some of the States, on
few privileged questions, like the school
question, the ballot has been allowed to won-
en-. But this experiment has not been wholly
satisfactory. In Massachusetts it has been
tried for several years, but the number Of
women who have voted at any election has not
been considerable, nor does it grow larger as
time goes on. The reverse is even true.
In Boston, where two thousand women voted
a year ago, but one thousand voted at this
last election. And in no State of the whole
Union is the right of woman to vote on State
or National issues conceded by law or by
usage. In New York State, where most de-
termined efforts have been made, it is esti-
mated by leading law writer on this SUBJ
ject that in about two hundred instances
have women voted at variSas elections. But
they have done so only at considerable risk,
as is illustrated by the case Of Mrs Lucy S.
Barber, who voted for State officers and
Congressman in Allegheny county, New
York, last November. At the time she was
threatened with arrest by State authorities,
but was not then molested. But on the
third Of this month United States marshal
went to the place where Mrs. Barber lives,
entered meeting of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, arrested her then and
there, carried her twenty-five miles to the
county seat and, bringing her before United
States commissioner, charged her with
illegal voting for Representative to Con-
gress On the representations of counsel
and friends the hearing was deferred to Feb
ruary 2nd, Mrs. Barber in the meanwhile
furnishing bonds for her appearance. These
are the tribulations of woman voter in a
State where many good lawyers say there is
nothing in the laws or State constitution to
prevent her voting. The forty years of york
has failed to bring about in a single State the
concession of equal privileges to women at
the polls.
But imperfect concessions have been
granted in fourteen different States, and vic
tories have been won in the Territories; so
that there was never a time when the woman
suffragists have had so good cause for hope
as now. The cause has unquestionably made
rapid advances since the Woman's Suffrage
Association began its work 80 years ago, even
If its final triumph appears remote and uncer-
tain. But the greatest encouragement to be
found in the change which various causes
have brought about in the condition of wo-
men. Miss Anthony remembers forty years
ago when there were hardly half dozen vo-
cations open to women in this country. Har-
ret Martineau, when she visited America in
1910, discovered seven occupations in which
women were employed. Eight years later,
Miss Elizabeth Blackwell, graduate of Ge-
neva College, in Switzerland, was the only
woman in the United States with a medical
diploma. Now, in Massachusetts alone,
threre are about three hundred branches of
industry bywhich women can earn from 500
TO $1,000 year. In 1880 there were 2,432
woman physicians in the country, and this
number has increased remarkably during
every one Of the six years since the census
was taken. Women have made their way to
the bar and into the pulpit few adyentur-
GUS ones have astonished the world by herd
ing cattle on the plains and commanding
steamboats, and schoonerS. This great Wild